WTAF schools...

[SoberCurious]

My friend who works for the DfE says they are planning for kids to go back to school in December 😭😭😭

I totally get the frustration of everybody but until social distancing is a thing of the past schools can't physically fit the children in the building. Classrooms that would usually hold 30 children now can only house 10. It is purely a logistical thing around rooming and staffing. I'm not sure protesting and marching is the answer here. It's a horrendous situation that we clearly don't want to be in and I know my school is doing everything it can to accommodate as many children as possible.

Duckfinger same here. Work in a school, we are planning for normal September as have not been told otherwise

@ekidmxcl

You can protest all you like, but on an individual basis, there will be many teachers unwilling to risk their health and they'll resign before entering the classroom again. I know at least 2 who will do this.

That’s their right. And children have a right to an education. I think surveys or information gathering needs to be done now to understand the scale of this. What sort of numbers of teachers are we talking about? No one can plan without this info.

Why are we throwing kids under a bus like this? It is completely and utterly ridiculous

Because it is no lonnger anything to do with Covid19 - its a political game. Unions have spent decades lobbying the government for more funding for education - our buildings are inadequate, not enough staff, lack of resources, we have the largest class sizes across Europe (all of which are reasons why we haven't been able to replicate the phased return measures that Europe and elsewhere have implemented). For the first time ever all schools have been shut to pupils. For the first time in decades of debates, the unions/lobbyists finally have the government over a barrel - you want schools reopened, then do what we want for a change. As much as I agree with the need for more funding for education, sadly, our children have been throw under the bus (along with their right to an education) so as to hammer home the point. Its a calculated move and the constant scaremongering about schools continuing to be part time, if at all, into January (which frankly is ludicrous given the death rates and infection rates are falling and more and more measures are being eased) is just hetting up Joe Public to make make the government listen. I mean, come on, I know the UK has done badly in terms of the number of deaths but I can't really see us still being in the thick of it a year on when the rest of Europe/world are getting back to it - social distancing measures in New Zealand have already been scrapped after what, 3.5 months!

They do need to sort out the plans for Sept and soon!
There's only 4 weeks left of term then it's the summer holidays

The people I know that work in schools have been saying this for over a month.

This is all rubbish. I work in local authority education and we speak to the dfe weekly. Schools (mostly secondary) are being asked to write back up plans in the event part time learning is necessary, so have been preparing those. But it may not be necessary. The initial expectation at the time of lockdown was for closures to mostly remain in place until September. Currently there is no "expectation" it will be longer than that. It may be, but they certainty aren't "planning" for it to be December or January.

December is flu season so if Covid is still around, the NHS capacity will need to be more protected than ever before. So I sincerely can’t see kids going back in December. I think part time next autumn with a spell of full time from home again if there’s a surge. Protest all you like, it won’t change the fact that the government(s) have been cramming kids into overstretched schools for years and now that they need schools to be hygienic and not hotbeds of contagion they have a genuinely massive logistical problem on their hands.

One of the secondaries local to us (north London) has already warned parents that they'll only take in Y7, 11 and 13 in September but the rest are unlikely to return full-time until December. So yes, I believe what your friend is saying, OP.

We're in this for the long-haul. The changes brought about by a global pandemic will alter the delivery models for everything - including education. I didn't ever think things would go back to "normal." There will be a new "normal," but it will take a long time to get to even that.

It's very difficult to see how to solve the problem of social distancing from a school's perspective. But equally, it is going to be a big ask on working parents to home-school their children longer-term. There's no concrete answer right now, this is a situation which is still evolving and progress is going to be very slow. We've never had to deal with a catastrophe of this size before, with such devastating consequences.

I suppose our ultimate priority throughout all of this remains keeping everyone safe. But it's quite clear that re-opening schools to admit the huge numbers of children that were previously in attendance isn't a viable option. And this will remain the case for the foreseeable.

It's not news that anyone wants to hear for sure but there it is.

DS's secondary school is bursting at the seams.
The only way they can return is to scrap social distancing in schools which I am in favour of.

@Lianarose I think surveys are already being done and have been conducted now for at least the last week.

I am basing this on the amount of surveys I am now being screened out of because I am not a teacher, but I am being accepted into a lot with screening questions about the age of my son and whether he is at school and then being asked how I feel about the schools opening.

If this is the case, there needs to be better support and provision for home learning in a lot of schools

I'm shielding at the moment and expecting to be back in September with quite a few changes in place. We certainly haven't been told anything different and I doubt that anyone who knows someone's Auntie's best friend's budgie's next door neighbour who shagged someone from the council knows either.

You can protest all you like, but on an individual basis, there will be many teachers unwilling to risk their health and they'll resign before entering the classroom again

What, ever?

The thing is OP, no one really knows. Our headmistress is planning for full time for all years from September. She has no more info than anyone else though (she just hopes it will be full time from September). She is also making alternative plans for part time provision, depending on the situation at the time.
We currently have year R, 1 and 6 in and years 5 and 2 will be back next week. She’s hoping to get years 3 and 4 in for the last week of term. We have no shielding teachers, one vulnerable who is due to retire at the end of the year so won’t be returning until the end of the year, and one TA living with a vulnerable grandchild so won’t be back for a while. All the other teachers happy to be back in the classroom.

They do need to sort out the plans for Sept and soon!

Until last week the Government were convinced all children would be returning to school for the last 4 weeks of this term. DfE updated guidance was being sent out less than 18 hours before schools were due to open to Y6, YR and Y10 students including over a bank holiday weekend.

I wouldn't bank on the Government setting out ideas and guidance at any time in the near future.

If this happens private schools are going to gain a lot of pupils. People that are unable to afford the fees will have to get together and informally school their friends children in a rota system of some kind so they can work. Pupils would be safer and better off in non socially distanced schools than what will happen if they don’t open fully in September. The consequences of being the only European country in this situation have not been thought through at all. Personally, I would consider all options including emigrating or using British schools abroad if this happened.

I really hope it can be solved sooner rather than later. It is going to be affecting kids of all ages. They must be so bored and lonely. Even if they are happy and loving home, it's teaching them to be lazy bums with no real routine. Even if you keep them routined. It's hard for parents. Younger siblings getting in the way. No laptops spare. Housework and actual work to do. Cooking to be done.

Whilst I have actually loved having my DD home I am sad now for her. She's five and I chose not to send her back as her teachers are not in and they are in a group of 8. Some kids are in the reception class. The others are in year 1/2 class. I decided it was abit too complex. Not to mention Fridays the day was just 2 hours long. It takes 25 minutes to walk there so it's not worth it. The other days are also only 9.30-2.15 so two hours shorter than normal.

It's a mess. I dont think the government are thinking straight at all.

Even with my two year old. He's developing alot now with his speech. But he has no family or friends around. What should be a year of him playing at the park and seeing friends and family and getting ready for nursery has become a lonely quiet isolating year. I'm pissed off with the order of things. I've read things today they they have admitted to buggering up the figures. They wreckon only a fifth of people died of the virus directly now. The rest were either not checked and showing some signs, or were already so sick that sadly coronavirus helped them on the way a few weeks or months sooner. It's still a horrible virus. But I don't know whether it's truly as deadly to us as they originally thought. I've stuck to all guidelines and I've been nowhere. I feel unhealthy. My mind is telling me I need to go somewhere and get my life going again. My confidence is going down hill. I'm anxious about getting back to a fully functioning mum that leaves the house at 8am. I can see the boredom in my kids. They need family again. They need some excitement that isn't walking in the outdoors.

I've definitely hit a wall.

I think at the very least they will delay new Reception starters until January. I have a 4 year old starting in Reception the upcoming academic year. I've not heard anything with regards to this, but I can't see them bringing in any new children when they can't provide full education to those currently enrolled.

I think at the very least they will delay new Reception starters until January

We’ve already got the new reception starters names on their pegs and drawers so hopefully not!

Yup. Planning for part time attendance until January 2021 here. Lots of teachers can’t return as shielding, vulnerable etc.

The government have just handed it over to the schools to solve.

Our school have Yr6 in 4 days a week and have been good. They are in discussions about how to get another year group in before summer. There are ways. Alternate days etc. It will now come down to the individual schools.

However, nobody knows what will happen come September. There maybe no deaths and very low cases in the community. We just don’t know. So nobody can say this will definitely continue until Dec. You may want to plan for it but it’s not a given.

I think it will be part time until then. It's what many of the unis are also planning.

I read somewhere Scotland was looking at 25,000 laptop's for kids and wifi in houses. I'm assuming those will be targeted at those without.

Government need to get planning ASAP just like they did with the NHS.

They have always known classroom space is a problem and some teachers won't want or be able to teach but they don't seem to have any plans in place to resolve the issues or at least put a temporary work around in place.

They managed to staff the NHS for the peak of Covid-19, build nightingale hospitals in 2 weeks, get extra ppe and ventilators, recruit thousands of volunteers to help shielding folk.

The same sort of urgency, rigorous planning and can- do attitude needs to be put in place re education now. ( Well, education and kids wellbeing should have been a priority from the outset but hey- ho we are where we are)........

@flamingochill

Do you mean full time?

I heard that Track and Trace won't be working until mid-autumn

Track and trace is up and running right now